The Car Connection Expert Review

How far can
you push (ok, pull) front-wheel drive? How about 303 horses, 5.6 seconds to 60
mph and a top end pushing 145 mph? These are the raw numbers for Chevy’s updated
and seriously pumped-up 2006 Monte Carlo SS coupe. Yes, it has a V-8, the first
time one’s been available in a
Monte
Carlo
since the mid-1980s. And yeah, it drives the front wheels this
time.

Is that a problem?

For the ideological purist, it’s tough to get cozy
with the idea of a serious performance car that isn’t rear-wheel drive,
like the Reagan-era ’83-’88 Monte Carlo SS was. But take a turn behind the
wheel; give it a chance. This ’06 model makes a persuasive case for itself no
matter which set of wheels happen to be laying down the rubber. Streetbound
Monte Carlos have long emulated the stock-car look. This one delivers the
stock-car experience.

For starters, the new SS has an all-alloy 5.3
liter V-8 burbling out a stout 303 horsepower — quite an uptick from the old
SS’s puny (by current standards) 180-hp “high output” 5.0-liter V-8. For
another, it’s almost three full seconds quicker to 60 (mid-low fives vs. the
mid-low eights for the ’80s-era SS). And finally, there’s next to no torque
steer when you hammer it, thanks to equal stiffness half-shafts and an extruded
aluminum engine cradle and triple engine mounts designed to limit engine flex
under torque load, among other refinements.

A proper front-drive burnout is both doable and
enjoyable without awkward skittering left to right.

We worked the SS hard at the world famous
Charlotte Motor
Speedway, a 1.5-mile NASCAR track where
the Monte more than proved its mettle. Full-throttle from a stop it hewed
straight and true, lighting up the 18-inch Goodyears as stoutly as a ’70 SS 454
Monte
Carlo. And
it actually felt on its game banking the oval at 120-plus — impressive for a
production car, front-drive, rear-drive, whatever. About the only time you get
any negative feedback from the front-drive layout is when you punch it from a
stop and make a hard left or right-hander; then the traction control system cuts
in to keep you on an even keel and prevent any torque-induced damage to the
half-shafts.

Thanks to displacement-on-demand technology,
which allows the engine to operate in four-cylinder mode under light
throttle/cruise-type conditions, highway fuel economy is an impressive 28 mpg.
The old SS couldn't touch that rolling down a steep hill in neutral.

Chevy has also upgraded lower-caste
Montes. The standard 3.5 liter V-6 engine in the base model LS ($21,380)
now makes a very decent 211 hp and the mid-level 3.9 liter V-6 that’s
optional in the LT and standard in the LTZ metes out 240 hp, 60 more than the
old V-8 SS of the mid-late ’80s. Both V-6s feature variable valve timing, but
not displacement on demand. OnStar is standard across the
line.

There have also been extensive sheetmetal changes,
including the use of laminate “quiet steel” in critical places to dampen
noise that would otherwise intrude into the cabin. Everything from the
A-pillar forward is new: the tail is less “bubbly,” the front end more pointed.
It looks shorter but it’s actually about the same overall length. Overall, the
car’s lines are much smoother, far less redneck-rococo. In black or dark navy
blue, it is nicely menacing in a Dale Earnhardt, Jr., kind of way, not in a
silly Teutel sort of way.

All ’06 Montes get a revised gauge cluster with
tachometer and 140-mph speedo that’s more tailored to the car’s latter-day
muscle car personality. All SS versions get contrasting aluminum-look
trim as well as a standard full-perimeter “ground effects” body kit
(with “whale tail” trunk-mounted spoiler) that adds to the car’s Winston
Cup–ready appearance. All versions — base LS, LT, LTZ, and SS — get air
conditioning, tilt wheel, remote keyless entry, and power windows/locks. The
mid-point LT upgrades to dual-zone climate control, 17-inch rims, and a
new-for-’06 remote start key fob. The system is pretty trick; not only does it
start the car for you remotely (from as far away as 197 feet), it
automatically turns on the heat/defrost when it’s cold outside or the A/C
when it’s hot, so the car is comfy when you slide inside.

In addition to the bruiser V-8, SS models get a
heavy-duty four-speed automatic transmission that's calibrated for
firm-shifting, defeatable traction control, 18-inch machine face or polished
aluminum rims with W-rated Goodyear RSA high-performance tires, FE4 sport
suspension with 34 mm front and 18 mm rear stabilizer bars, upgraded
brakes and interior/exterior trim enhancements. There are no plans at
present for a manual-transmission SS — but the big V-8 has so much torque you
don’t really miss it. You can even break the tires loose from a 10-mph
roll-on. That’s all right in my book.

The SS model I flogged at Charlotte carries a base
price of $27,130, putting it well below the Pontiac GTO and right in the middle
of Mustang GT territory. And while it may not be a direct competitor of
rear-drive performance coupes like the Goat and Mustang, it is an alternative — one with real back seats, a big trunk
(15.8 cubic feet), a very appealing price tag, and more than enough
performance to be credible when the time comes to put up or shut up.

The infusion of V-8 power means that Monte
Carlo SS owners are no longer condemned to motor toothlessly around the parking
lot at Talladega or Martinsville looking silly in their V-6 pretend stockers —
all decal, no cattle. The bark of that 303-hp V-8 is plenty convincing.

Great fast and fuel efficent.

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We have owned our 2004 Monte Carlo SS Supercharged since new and its been a perfect car with 70000+ miles. No repairs other than oil, brakes, tires. Had a tune done on it for 300 HP and its FAST. Great travel...
We have owned our 2004 Monte Carlo SS Supercharged since new and its been a perfect car with 70000+ miles. No repairs other than oil, brakes, tires. Had a tune done on it for 300 HP and its FAST.
Great travel car. + More »

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April 16, 2015

For 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

A real nice sporty looking car.

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I bought the 2003 Jeff Gordon signature series Monte Carlo new, and its been a great car. I only drive it in the summer and its got 66,000 kms. on it, and I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I get lots of...
I bought the 2003 Jeff Gordon signature series Monte Carlo new, and its been a great car. I only drive it in the summer and its got 66,000 kms. on it, and I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I get lots of compliments on it with the blue paint and the ghost flames. Great car and I plan on keeping it for a long time.+ More »

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April 14, 2015

For 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

A real sporty looking car with the right rims. 3800(3.8/231cid) engine runs like a champ.

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3800 engine runs like a champ and fast. Gas mileage mediocre(may need new plugs soon), but reliable. Sporty looking car if you use your imagination to fix it up to your likes.